Talk of BCS berth for UT isn't crazy after all

Receiver Mike Davis (1), who still had high hopes for a BCS bowl berth in the midst of UT’s worst struggles of the season last month, could be proven right if things fall the Longhorns’ way. Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

AUSTIN — A month ago, Texas wide receiver Mike Davis said something completely preposterous, and almost no one reported it. There was a reason for this.

In the media business, you're not supposed to waste column inches every time someone claims the world's about to end. You don't show the video footage of the streaker, because you don't want to encourage lunacy. And when you're talking to a guy who plays for a team that can't tackle, can't get lined up correctly and can't stay within 40 points of Oklahoma?

If he's wacky enough to say that team can still make a Bowl Championship Series game, you roll your eyes and ignore it just like everybody who listened to Davis make that claim about UT five weeks ago.

Sure enough, as the No. 16 Longhorns head into tonight's game against TCU at Royal-Memorial Stadium, Davis' outlandish prophecy is looking more realistic than ever.

Thanks to a wild few weeks around college football and some modest improvement by a historically bad defense, UT remains in the thick of the race for not only a BCS berth, but also a Big 12 championship.

After losses to West Virginia and OU and near-disasters against Baylor and Kansas, the Longhorns (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) appeared a hiccup away from self-destruction. But if they start their new Thanksgiving tradition by beating the Horned Frogs (6-4, 3-4) and then pull off an upset at Kansas State next week, an at-large bid to a BCS bowl would be a strong possibility.

And if the Sooners lose Saturday against Oklahoma State or next week against TCU, the Longhorns would be in position to win a complicated tiebreaker for the conference title.

Not wanting to take anything for granted with a team that's shown a propensity for crumbling under the weight of big expectations, UT coach Mack Brown said he isn't using the BCS or the league crown as a motivator yet. But he was comfortable making one promise to his players.

“The more you win, the better it gets,” Brown said. “Control what you can control.”

Tonight, that will mean continuing to employ a game plan that has been both simple and effective in recent weeks. Offensively, the Longhorns will keep trying to get the ball to fast guys — a commodity they have no shortage of — in space, and maintain their outstanding ball security. Through 10 games, UT has lost only eight turnovers, the fewest in the league.

On defense, the Longhorns' first priority is to take away TCU's ground attack. After the OU game, UT defensive end Alex Okafor said he had “zero confidence” in his team's run defense. But since halftime at Kansas, the Longhorns have allowed only 312 yards on 82 carries in 10 quarters.

“I'm proud of our team, because we rose up,” Okafor said.

It's not as though something just clicked. Although UT has won four straight games, progress has been gradual, and there have been moments when things have looked as ugly as they did in mid-October.

And even though they'd love to have Davis' crazy prediction come true, the Longhorns aren't preoccupying themselves with whether they'll get the help they need.

“Who knows, and who cares?” offensive lineman Mason Walters said. “We've got to keep taking care of business, week by week, and let the cards fall where they will.”